'Gwanaksan Rape and Murder' Choi Yoon-jong Transferred... When Asked 'Since When Was It Planned?' "I Don't Know Well" (Summary)

Choi Yoon-jong Still Claims "Accidental Crime"

Choi Yoon-jong (30, male), who assaulted and sexually assaulted a woman on the Gwanaksan Dulle-gil trail in Seoul, causing her death, has been handed over to the prosecution.

On the morning of the 25th, the Seoul Gwanak Police Station sent Choi, accused of rape and murder, to the prosecution in custody. When Choi appeared in front of the police station at 7 a.m. to board the transport vehicle, he responded to reporters' questions about why he committed the crime by saying, "It was accidental." When asked if he intended to kill from the beginning, he said, "No," and when asked if he had anything to say to the deceased victim, he said, "I'm sorry." When asked when he planned the crime, he replied, "I don't really know."

Choi Yoon-jong, accused of sexually assaulting and murdering a woman on a hiking trail in Sillim-dong, is being transferred to the prosecution at the Seoul Gwanak Police Station on the 25th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Choi is accused of assaulting and sexually assaulting victim A near the Gwanaksan Dulle-gil trail connected to a park in Sillim-dong on the 17th. After A was transferred to a hospital and treated, she died on the 19th, leading the police to change Choi's charge from rape and injury to rape and murder.

The police intensified their investigation to prove Choi's intent to kill, changing the charge from rape resulting in death to rape and murder. While rape resulting in death is punishable by life imprisonment or a prison term of 10 years or more, rape and murder can only be sentenced to life imprisonment or the death penalty. The day before, the police secured a statement from Choi admitting to strangling A, and on the 21st, the National Forensic Service's autopsy provided a preliminary verbal opinion that A's direct cause of death was 'hypoxic brain injury due to neck compression asphyxia,' meaning that strangulation caused insufficient oxygen supply to the brain, resulting in brain damage and death.

Although Choi again claimed the crime was accidental, there were indications that the crime was committed deliberately. The day before, the police analyzed Choi's portal site search history and found that he had searched for terms such as "knuckle" and "public indecency." Forensic analysis of his phone and computer confirmed that he had viewed articles related to knuckles, sexual assault, murder, and murder threats.

Choi Yoon-jong, accused of sexually assaulting and murdering a woman on a hiking trail in Sillim-dong, is being transferred to the prosecution at the Gwanak Police Station in Seoul on the 25th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Additionally, the police secured a statement from Choi indicating that he purchased the knuckles used in the assault online in April for the purpose of rape, and that he chose the crime location because it was close to his residence, which he frequently visited, and he knew there was no CCTV there.

Choi appears to have lived a socially isolated life. The police confirmed that most of Choi's phone call records were with family members via calls and texts. They also confirmed that he had received treatment for depression in 2015. According to family testimonies, Choi had been diagnosed with depression and received hospital treatment but did not continue treatment. Furthermore, it was confirmed that after enlisting at the end of 2014, Choi deserted without permission during harsh winter training as a private, after saying he was going to the bathroom, while carrying a rifle and live ammunition, but was caught.

On the afternoon of the 23rd, the police held a personal information disclosure committee and decided to disclose Choi's face, real name, age, and other personal information. The day before the committee meeting, Choi agreed to the photographing and disclosure of his "mugshot" (criminal identification photo), which was also released.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.